consumer behavior towards ayurvedic products

7/27/2019 consumer behavior towards ayurvedic products

1/5

Ayur pharm I nt J Ayur Al li Sci., Vol.1, No.3 (2012) Pages 60 - 64www.ayurpharm.com

ISSN: 2278-4772

Ayurpharm - I nternational Journal of Ayurveda and All ied Sciences 60

Short Communication

CONSUMER BUYING BEHAVIOUR TOWARDS AYURVEDIC

MEDICINES / PRODUCTS IN JOGINDER NAGAR - A SURVEY

Vikrant Arya1*

, Raneev Thakur2, Suresh Kumar

3, Sanjeev Kumar

4

1. Lecturer, Dept. of Pharmacognosy, College of Ayurvedic Pharmaceutical Sciences, Joginder Nagar, H.P., India.2. Lecturer, Dept. of Pharmaceutics, College of Ayurvedic Pharmaceutical Sciences, Joginder Nagar, H.P., India.3. Lecturer, Dept. of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, College of Ayurvedic Pharmaceutical Sciences, Joginder Nagar, H.P.,

India.4. Lecturer, Dept. of Rasa Shastra, College of Ayurvedic Pharmaceutical Sciences, Joginder Nagar, H.P., India.

Received: 28.06.2012; Revised: 11.07.2012; Accepted: 14.07.2012

.....

Abstract

The objective of this research survey was to study the consumer behavior in consuming/purchasing Ayurvedic

medicines/products and their attitudes toward herbal medicines in Joginder Nagar region of HimachalPradesh, India. The data are predominantly compiled by face to face conversation, based on the questionnaire,with sample of 500 consumers at distinct places of Joginder Nagar. The consumers were interviewed using astructured interview questionnaire. The findings revealed that 64.8% of the consumers preferred Ayurvedicmedicines in comparison with Allopathic (32.6%), Homeopathic (1.8%), Unani (0.8%) medication/therapy. In

terms of reliability 73.6% consumers purchased the Ayurvedic medicines. 78.4% consumers bought theAyurvedic health/food supplements or Rejuvenating Ayurvedic medicines for health prevention or to

complement their health. Furthermore, the advertisements had affirmative impact on consumers (59.6%).Many of the consumers have firm mind set of selective brand like Dabur (44.8%), (19.2%), and Himalaya(17.2%). Many of them (77.4%) are habitual consumer of Ayurvedic medicine for treatment of commonailments like common cold, cough, allergy, constipation, joint pain, hair fall but most of consumers (73.2%)consume Ayurvedic medicines without Doctors prescription. 37.2% Consumers consume Ayurvedic

medicines along with allopathic, homeopathic medicine for treating prevalent diseases. On the other handmost groups of the consumers (72.6%) are very desirous towards the usage of Ayurvedic cosmetic

preparation.

Keywords: Ayurvedic Medicine; Joginder Nagar; Consumers.

.....

*Address for correspondence:

Vikrant Arya,

Lecturer, Dept. of Pharmacognosy,

College of Ayurvedic Pharmaceutical Sciences, Joginder Nagar, Mandi, H.P., India.

E-mail:[email protected]

INTRODUCTION

Ayurveda means knowledge of life and isabout 5,000 years old traditional Indian system

of medicine. Ayurveda is a system, which

avail the essential fundamentals of nature, to

maintain health in a person by preserving the

individual's mind, body and spirit in adeptequanimity with nature. Natural remedies have

immense applications globally. Unique
mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]


2/5


ISSN: 2278-4772


therapy such as Ayurvedic Panchakarma,

Aromatherapy, Acupressure/acupuncture,

Homeopathy, Chinese Traditional therapies,etc have been few of the most sought after

treatment ways due to rapidly expanding

hazards of modern medicines [1-6].

Joginder Nagar is situated at north-east cornerat an average 3,314 feet, located in the north-

western ranges of the Himalayas 31.98N,76.77E surrounded by mountains on all

sides. Joginder Nagar is a town and nagar

panchayat in Mandi district inthe Indian state ofHimachal Pradesh. Named

after Raja Joginder Sen, Joginder Nagar isterminal point of 163 km long Kangra

Valley narrow gauge railhead.[7-8]

Ayurvedichub (Joginder Nagar) is surrounded by various

educational institutions/research centers likeHerbal garden (cultivations, collection,

procurement, identification, authentication,

preservation various herbarium samples

including endangered species, marketing and

supply of herbal drugs to Ayurvedicmanufacturing units), Ayurvedic pharmacy

(manufacturing of herbal drugs), Drug testing

lab. (Qualitative and quantitative analysis of

herbal drugs), Ayurvedic hospital

(Intensive/general care of patients using

Ayurvedic therapy/medicines). Joginder Nagar

is packed with clinics, pharmacies andhospitals. In terms of quantity, people have

easy access to health services, mainlyAyurvedic, Allopathic and Homeopathic. To

know the behavior of consumers towards theAyurvedic medication/products, this survey

have been conducted in Joginder Nagar.

Study area:

Numerous studies have been regulated on

consumer behavior in the use of Ayurvedic

medicine/products or herbal drugs in several

areas. However, no studies have been

conducted on Ayurvedic drug/medicine onconsumption behavior of consumers. In

Joginder Nagar, drug stores are available in

sufficient numbers and are visited by bulk of

consumers. If these consumers have

disproportionate drug purchasing behavior orhave improper decision making process of

purchasing drug, they will obtain low qualityAyurvedic drug/medicine which are unsafe,

and the consumers health may be at risk.

Because of this, we (authors) were interestedin studying the Ayurvedic/herbal drug

purchasing/buying behavior of consumers inJoginder Nagar region.

The present investigation has been carried out

at Joginder Nagar region of Himachal Pradesh,India. For proper and orderly study; the study

sites were selected considering the population

and density of area. Direct discussions with

different consumers/informants were made

and their views were recorded. About 15villages of Joginder Nagar namely Kupper,

Ahju, Dwelu, Jalpehar, Dohag, Shanan, Seri,

Approach road, Graru, Dul, Chauntra,

Balkrupi, Sainthal and Prain, Odder (Bassi),

Makrana etc. were authentically surveyed by

B.Pharm (Ay.) students of the Ayurvedic

Pharmaceutical Sciences, Joginder Nagar,Mandi, H.P.

Methodology:

The present study was a descriptive research

conducted between Sept.2011-May 2012 (8months). The study comprises of several

selected questions (to be asked fromconsumers randomly) (Table 1) about their

buying behavior towards Ayurvedic

medicine/product in Joginder Nagar.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Himalayashttp://toolserver.org/~geohack/geohack.php?pagename=Jogindernagar&params=31.98_N_76.77_E_http://toolserver.org/~geohack/geohack.php?pagename=Jogindernagar&params=31.98_N_76.77_E_http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nagar_panchayathttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nagar_panchayathttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mandi_districthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indiahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/States_and_territories_of_Indiahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Himachal_Pradeshhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kangra_Valleyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kangra_Valleyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Narrow_gaugehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Narrow_gaugehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kangra_Valleyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kangra_Valleyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kangra_Valleyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Himachal_Pradeshhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/States_and_territories_of_Indiahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indiahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mandi_districthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nagar_panchayathttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nagar_panchayathttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nagar_panchayathttp://toolserver.org/~geohack/geohack.php?pagename=Jogindernagar&params=31.98_N_76.77_E_http://toolserver.org/~geohack/geohack.php?pagename=Jogindernagar&params=31.98_N_76.77_E_http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Himalayas


3/5


ISSN: 2278-4772


Table 1: Questionnaire

Sl. No. Question Yes No

1. Do you use Ayurvedic medicine for treatment of common diseases like common cold, cough,allergy etc.?

2. Do you use Ayurvedic medicine for treatment of major diseases like diabetes, arthritis, bronchialasthma, tuberculosis, migraine, depression etc.?

3. Do you consume Ayurvedic medicines on Doctors prescription or taking it on ours own? 4. According to you which medication is better?

A) AYURVEDIC B) ALLOPATHIC C) HOMEOPATHIC D)UNANI E) OTHER

5. Are advertisements of Ayurvedic Products/medicines have some impact on you ?6. Are Ayurvedic Medicine have some side effect on your health/body?7. Do you consume Ayurvedic medicine along with allopathic, homeopathic medicine for treating

common disease?

8.

Do you use some herbal cosmetic product?9. Which is your favourate Ayurvedic brand/ company?

A) DABUR B) ZHANDU C) BAIDYANATH D) HIMALAYA E) OTHER

10. Are Ayurvedic Medicines reliable to your pocket?11. Do you consume some Ayurvedic health/food supplements or Rejuvenating Ayurvedic

medicines?

Sample Size:

n=500 (where n = no. of respondents)

Selecting the research method-The primary

data contains collection of questionnaire filledby B.Pharma (Ayurveda) students (30 studentsdivided into 5 groups; 6 students per group,

Fig.1) from 500 consumers/households as asample to represent the entire

consumers/households of Joginder Nagarregion.

Data collection:

Data collection was done in one stage only;in

the present study the primary data was

collected from consumers (about 500

consumers with in age group of 15-75 yr.)

After collecting the data the next important

phase was to evaluate the data. Finally

interpretation of the data was done to arrive at

the conclusion.

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

77.4% (n=387) of consumers consumeAyurvedic medicine for treatment of

common/prevalent diseases like common cold,

cough, constipation, allergy etc. This

concludes that Ayurvedic medicine was

mostly consumed by consumers for prevalent

diseases. Ayurveda is not just a treatment,

rather a lifestyle; a lifestyle which has

ascertain ways of eating habits, meditativepractices and herbal medications when fallensick. Human body is prone to diverse

infections and ailments anytime due topolluted atmosphere and increased bacterial

spread levels. It is quite common that peopleoften periodically or frequently gets infected

with one or other bacteria or virus. Ayurveda

has prescribed several simple homemade

medications to prevent and fight such common

ailments.

26.6% (n=133) consumers taking Ayurvedic

medicine for the treatment of major diseases

like diabetes, arthritis, bronchial asthma,

tuberculosis, migraine, depression etc. (The

other 73.4% (n=386) consumers refused to

take Ayurvedic medicine because, they dont

know about the diseases and the effect of

Ayurvedic medicine on these diseases.Traditional systems of medicines involving

use of herbs have been used throughout theworld from centuries. Plants (herbs, shrubs,

trees) have been the authentic source for most


4/5


ISSN: 2278-4772


of the drugs. Medicinal plants contain so many

phytoconstituents (alkaloids, glycosides,

tannins, flavonoids, resins, terpenoids) whichare the major source of ameliorative agents to

treat human diseases. Recent discovery and

advancement in medicinal and aromatic plants

have lead to the enhancement of health care of

mankind[1]

.

73.2% (n=366) of people consume medicinewithout consulting Physician. These data

shows that the people of Joginder nagar are

interested in the OTC (over the counter)products of Ayurveda because they are much

influenced by the advertisement given byvarious Ayurvedic manufacturing companies

(Dabur, Himalaya, Zandu etc.)

64.8%, n=324 of the subjects preferredAyurvedic medicines in comparison with

Allopathic (32.6%, n=156), Homeopathic

(1.8%, n=9), Unani (0.8%, n=4) medication

(Graph 1). Ayurveda is the most extensively

practiced system of medicine of the Indiantraditional medicine systems, but there are

others such as Siddha and Unani which are

also practiced in the Indian subcontinent.

Graph 1:Consumer consumes Ayurvedic

medicine along with allopathic,

homeopathic medicine for treating common

disease

59.6%, n=298 Advertisements of Ayurvedic

Products/medicines has a possible impact onConsumers (37.2%, n=186 of Consumer

consumes Ayurvedic medicine along with

allopathic, homeopathic medicine for treating

common disease. However the remaining

consumers had refused to take Ayurvedicmedicine along with allopathic, homeopathic

medicine because the consumers of Joginder

Nagar said that they dont believe in the

double treatment, they either want to take

Allopathic medicine or Ayurvedic medicineonly.

72.6%, n=363 ofConsumers are using herbal

cosmetic products. This indicates that the

herbal cosmetics are in great demand. Indianherbs and its significance are popular

worldwide. Herbal Cosmetics have growingdemand in the world market and is an

inestimable gift of nature. There are a widerange of Herbal cosmetic products available in

the market. Apart from traditionallydocumented applications, some modern trials

have also constituted the utility of Indian herbs

in personal care products.[1]

Many of the consumers have rigid mind set ofparticular brand like Dabur (44.8%, n=224),

(19.2%, n=96), Himalaya (17.2%, n=84),

Patanjali 12%, n=60). Dabur comes out to be

the most favorite brand among consumers in

Joginder Nagar region (Graph 2).

Graph 2:Favorite Ayurvedic brand

78.4%, n=382 of Consumers are using some

Ayurvedic health/food supplements orRejuvenating Ayurvedic medicines.

Rejuvenation therapy involves tonic

0

50

100

150

200

250300

350

A B C D

A=AYURVEDIC,B=ALLOPATHIC,

C=HOMEOPATHIC,D=UNANI

0

50

100

150

200

250

A B C D E F

A=DABUR,B=ZHANDU,C=BAID

YANATH,D=HIMALAYA,E=PAT

ANJALI,F=OTHER


5/5


ISSN: 2278-4772


herbs/drugs such as Asparagus racemosus,

Withania somnifera, Ocimum sanctum to

nourish all the tissues, promote the strength,enhance ojas and strengthen the immunity. It

also involves eating foods like nuts, ghee and

dairy products. In Ayurveda, Rasayana

(tonics) are the sweet flavored tonic which

increases the quantity and quality of thetissues as it is anabolic. The herbs/drugs that

boost immunity are full of immune-enhancingsaponins and polysaccharides.[1]

73.6%, n=368 consumers agrees with thereliability of Ayurvedic Medicines.There

are some advantages of natural medicineover modern medicine as complementary

therapy, is easily available as homeremedies. Natural therapy is comparatively

cheaper than modern remedies andtreatments.

Natural remedy generally does not produce

any reaction unless intake of such medicine

(the dosage) is not followed as per advice96.2%, n=481of consumers do not feel any

side effect on their health. Complementary

treatment or natural remedy is less likely to

affect other bodily systems and hence is

relatively safe. Natural remedies, being

general daily health supplements, not only

help in curing the primary ailment but alsosoothe other body systems. Holistic

remedies help in rejuvenating andrevitalizing the human health. Rather than

working specifically on signs andsymptoms, natural herbal remedies treat the

root-cause. Thus, helps in terminatinghealth ailment permanently.

CONCLUSION

After an analysis of response received it hasbeen concluded that the people of Joginder

Nagar are more interested in the Ayurvedic

OTC products as compared to the

product/medicine recommended by

Physicians. Hence, scientific knowledge of theAyurvedic/herbal drugs has to be transmitted

out in a systematic manner to compete theinternational market and provide consumer

satisfaction. The people of Joginder Nagar had

not responded as per our estimation and hencethe results are little bit deviated from exact

situation prevailing in India for Ayurveda.

ACKNOWLEDGMENT

The authors are grateful to Dr. C.P. Kashyap,Principle College of Ayurvedic

Pharmaceutical Sciences, Joginder Nagar for

providing facilities to carrying out this

research survey.

REFERENCES

1. Khare CP. Indian Medicinal Plants. 1st ed.Berlin/Heidlburg: Springer verlang; 2007.

2. Nadkarni KM, Nadkarni AK. Indian MateriaMedica. 3

rded. Mumbai: Popular Prakashan; 2005.

3. Kiritikar KR, Basu BD. Indian Medicinal Plants,Vol. 8. Dehradun: International Book Distributors;

1999.4. Arya V, Kaur R. Kangrian medicinal flora. 1st ed.

Kangra, H.P.: Pranav Prakashan; 2012.5. Arya V, Kaur R, Kashyap CP, Sharma V.

Therapeutic Potency of OcimumKilimandscharicumGuerke - A Review. Global JPharmacol 2011; 5(3):191-200.

6. Gupta V.K, Arya V. A review on potential diureticsof Indian medicinal plants. J Chem Pharm Res2011; 3(1):613-620.

7. www.jogindernagar.com [Accessed on 11th July2012]

8. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jogindernagar[Accessed on 11th July 2012]

Source of Support: Nil Conflict of Interest: None Declared
http://www.jogindernagar.com/http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jogindernagarhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jogindernagarhttp://www.jogindernagar.com/

consumer behavior towards ayurvedic products

Documents